After refusing to settle down on his last single, “GIRLS”, Ace Hashimoto has somewhat changed his position on new single “O.M.W. (One Woman Man)”, now actively seeking a long-term companion. It’s quite a quick turnaround, but I love to see growth. “O.M.W.” is the latest single to be released in the lead-up to Ace’s first solo album Play.Make.Believe. Over ten years deep in the industry, Ace has produced and engineered for the likes of Chance the Rapper, Danny Brown, SZA and Action Bronson before taking a pilgrimage to Tokyo to hone his sound. From what we’ve heard of the album so far, his time in the dojo was spent wisely and he is more than ready to go ronin.
“O.M.W.” brings back the '90s R&B feel as a recurring motif, and recalls the era with a warm nostalgic glow. Driven by a dreamy acoustic guitar line and the softest, most tender handclaps on the market, the production is pure baby-making on purple silk sheets music. Ace takes his cue and slides all over the track, singing earnestly about that that basic human need for companionship which drives us all.
“The fun and games is overdue
I miss having someone to answer to
I got a house, I got a key
Only one more thing that I really need”
The track is given a lolloping bass thwack when the chorus kicks in and Ace’s vocals are doubled up with some heavenly female adlibs, building up the dynamics expertly to bring your feels crashing around you. The track encapsulates the soulful energy which gets people so sentimental about the nineties and seems to sum up Ace’s ethos for the album, which is to draw on all of his musical influences growing up, pay tribute to them, expand on them and reconfigure them to his own diabolically smooth design. So far, the album is shaping up to be a luscious, hazy trip down memory lane, infused with Ace’s unique matcha green tea. Play.Make.Believe is released on May 21 on NBN Records, just in time for summer, which I suspect may not be a coincidence.
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